Keep Exotic Pets Warm During The Winter
Exotic pets need to be well-fed, hydrated, provided warm enclosure, blankets, and UV lights during the winter to stay healthy.
Exotic pets are very fragile creatures and require extra care in the harsh winter.
Most of the exotic pets that humans keep are cold-blooded animals such as geckos, chameleons, and spiders. As they are cold-blooded, they cannot handle the winter weather very well. In nature, most of these cold-blooded animals go into hibernation and stay like that till the winter ends.
But hibernating can be difficult for household pets. Therefore, it is very crucial for the survivability of these pets that the owner takes extra care of them.
Here are a few methods by which animals can stay safe and secure in the winter’s cold.
1. Heat The Container
Most cold-blooded creatures are kept in small boxes or containers. These containers can get very cold in winter.
So, keeping the inside of these containers warm is very important. Reptiles are cold-blooded, so if the weather becomes cold, their body temperature drops rapidly.
This is deadly for reptiles. This reduces their immune system, metabolism, and digestion rate. Therefore, if they are exposed to such cold weather, they can fall ill quickly and might even die.
Therefore, it is very important to keep the container or habitat warm at all times. Keep the pets in a well-lit area as light can help increase the temperature.
There are many heat lamps available that you can buy for your pet’s habitat. This will keep them warm and comfortable, even if it is cold outside.
2. Keep Your Pet Well Fed
As mentioned before, the animals have an increased metabolism during winter. This is because they need to burn more calories to keep their body warm.
If there is little food available, they feel hungry and as they get hungry, their metabolism rate drops. This results in a low-calorie burn.
Since they cannot burn more calories, their body loses temperature. This is life-threatening for the pets.
This is why it is necessary to keep your pet well-fed at all times. Keep a sufficient amount of food in the container of these animals. As they eat more, they can burn more calories and keep their body warm.
The ideal food for your exotic little pets would be insects. There are potentially thousands of different insects that are highly nutritious for your pets. Some notable ones are different types of worms, crickets, and cockroaches.
One highly nutritious and appreciated snack for them is Dubia roaches. They have tons of protein and make an ideal winter diet. You can learn more about Dubia roaches by browsing different sites online.
3. Keep Them Hydrated
The cold dry weather can get your pets dehydrated quickly. To keep them warm and have more calories in their body, they also need to eat large quantities of water. Therefore, having fresh water ready by them at all times is very important.
Water is the fluid of life. This saying becomes even more crucial in winter. The dry weather can vaporize the water fast. It can also reduce moisture from the skin of your pet animals.
To keep their body moist, they also need to drink water and stay hydrated. So, the water cup of these animals must be refilled with fresh water every day.
4. Humidify The Room
During winter, the weather gets dry and there is very little humidity in the air. If you want to bring your pet out of the container in the winter, the dry environment can hurt them badly.
This is even worse for reptiles and amphibians. As the air is less humid, they absorb the water that lizards and the other animals secrete at a rapid rate. Therefore, the pet will often feel thirsty.
Getting a humidifier can help solve the issue easily. A humidifier can increase the moisture of air in a certain area. How much air can be moisturized depends on the capacity of the humidifier.
Normally, you may only want to humidify the room where the pet is currently living. So a cheap humidifier can do the trick.
5. Use Ultra Violet Lights For Reptiles
UV rays can be extremely beneficial for reptiles. Direct exposure to UltraViolet lights can be harmful to birds and other small mammals, but not for reptiles.
Installing a UV light in the container of these reptiles can keep them warm, even in the harshest of winters.
While installing the light, make sure to keep the light source at least 16 inches away from the reptile. Keep the light on for 12 hours and turn it off for 12 hours. This will create a warm and comfortable environment for the reptiles inside the container.
6. Put Blankets On Top Of The Pets container
This is a very cost-effective method of keeping your pets warm and cozy in the winter. If you are unwilling to buy lights that may have some health hazard, you can use blankets to cover the container, and even slammer blankets to cover the pet.
Blankets are extremely heat resilient and can keep the whole container to a very comfortable temperature.
Unlike UV lights, there is no hassle for installing them or regularly monitoring them. Many people prefer to use this method as this is much more efficient.
7. Have An Emergency Plan
Now, things may not always work in your favor. There will still be a small risk factor no matter what you do, and your pet might fall sick. Although the chances of this happening are slim, you cannot throw it out of the equation.
And if you see your pet behaving abnormally, you can understand that the pet has become sick.
In this case, save the phone number of your nearest veterinary and also keep a warm transportable container ready at all times. When you see the signs of sickness, immediately take your pet to the vet.
Final Thoughts
When you own a pet, its well being depends solely on you. You own the pet, and it is your responsibility to keep them healthy. In winter, the weather becomes very harsh and so, your exotic pets need to have some extra care. Hopefully, this article has shown you ways by which you can take care of your exotic pet.
